Ask Dr. Mitch: All About the Power of Pot

Dr. Mitch Earleywine, Ph.D, author of Understanding Marijuana and The Parents’ Guide to Marijuana and member of NORML’s advisory board, answers your questions about cannabis hangovers, astrology, and hallucinating while high.

Is a weed hangover a thing? Is there any way to prevent it?

BZ Morning

Hi BZ,

Back in the 1980s, a Stanford researcher got a few guys high and had them do almost every test, including having them pretend to fly an airplane. There were some modest decrements, but I would hardly call it a hangover. If you’ve got a lot of work in the morning, don’t get high. If you want to keep brain fog to a minimum, make sure you vaporize, keep your dosage low and stay hydrated.

CBD gets me stoned. I swear. My friends don’t believe me.

Lieutenant Weight

Hello Lieutenant,

You probably aren’t alone. At high doses (600 milligrams), we’re seeing folks get relaxed and sleepy. Anxious people claim they fret less. There are even some data showing CBD can slow one’s heart rate. Everybody’s different. If your friends don’t want any, that’s just more CBD for you!

Is there a best strain depending on your zodiac sign?

Crazy Capricorn

Hey Crazy,

You’ll be stunned to learn that nothing has been published on this topic.

Local cops ate edibles and then claimed they were hallucinating. I’ve done some heavy brownies in my day, but I’ve never seen things. Are they just joking?

Laughing Outlaw

Howdy Outlaw,

Not to malign the vocabularies of those who protect us—my friends at LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) are delightfully articulate—but lay definitions of “hallucinate” might not be the same as formal ones. Technically, hallucinating means perceiving something that is not there. Perhaps inexperienced users consuming huge doses would experience hallucinations, but very rarely.

Are joints so terrible for your lungs?

Derek (Roger) Moore

Greetings Mr. Moore,

The ratio of lung irritants to THC in joints is actually pretty good, but they tend to burn very hot. A vaporizer set to a cool temperature is probably safer in the long run. If you’re coughing, switch!